Chen Yu-hao is a tool of Beijing interlopers: legislator

By Fiona Lu / STAFF REPORTER

The accuracy of the fax sent on Monday by the former chairman of the Tuntex Group, Chen Yu-hao (陳由豪), was challenged by ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday as they dubbed it a political attack orchestrated by Beijing.

"Chen Yu-hao's assertion that he offered a political donation to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) should be considered a manifestation of the Chinese government's desire to interfere in the presidential election," DPP legislative leader Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said.

Chen Yu-hao has been mired in a scandal related to the development of his business in China. He has been accused of embezzling about NT$800 million from a Tuntex Group subsidiary, Tunghua Development, for investment in China and was indicted on charges of breach of trust in 2002.

Chen Yu-hao reportedly fled to China in August of that year.

"We learned from other Taiw-anese businessmen stationed in China that the tycoon was forced to fax the letters under pressure from the Chinese government, because his businesses in China had come to a dead end," Tsai told a press conference yesterday morning.

The Taiwanese businessmen said that Chen Yu-hao's investments in China had been frozen. Furthermore, Chen Yu-hao could not easily return to Taiwan, having debts of over NT$6 million in his homeland, he said.

"The Chinese government is therefore using him as a tool to influence Taiwan's presidential election," Tsai told reporters.

Besides vowing to bring Chen Yu-hao to justice, Tsai and his DPP colleague Chang Ching-fang (張清芳) also urged Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) to publicly account for how he would cope with former friends and subordinates on the 10 most-wanted fugitives list created by the Executive Yaun.

Lien should elaborate on whether or not he would pardon two former subordinates -- the ex-president of Central Broadcasting System Gloria Chu (朱婉清) and former Legislator Wu Tzer-yuan (伍澤元) -- after his election, Chang said.

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